Cleaning up and Future Posts

I've finally gotten around to checking some of the links over on the side and deleted outdated or bad links. The Lone Ranger one hasn't been updated in years, but the information is still valid, so I've let stand.

I know I've promised before, but I really do want to start posting more often here.  It will be primarily reviews of the current comics or commentary on announcements and previews.  Comixology and other sites are allowing me to check out comics I normally don't purchase, so I'm going to try to read and review those. 

Beginning on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning I'll start posting photos from San Diego and Comic-Con 2016.  Most of these will be either on my Twitter or Facebook pages, so if you don't follow me you might think about it. 

Catch you later!

Is the San Diego Comic-Con really only a week away?

My very first Comic-Con, and second visit to any convention, was way back in '75.  That first one was held several months earlier at a high school that was closed for the summer.  Mostly what we would call a 'marketplace' nowadays, but with a few panels for those interested.The con was held at the now defunct El Cortez hotel and the entire place could fit easily into a corner of Hall H and be missed by most folks in attendance.  The idea of a few hundred folks wandering around, looking at old comics and even panels discussing them was amazing to me.  Those folks who complain that SDCC is no longer about comics, should know that even then there were panels on movies, television and animation.  Actors like Jock Mahoney and Kirk Alyn were there among others.  The following year people were there promoting some film called, STAR WARS that was still in production.  Whatever happened with that?

Comic-Con is so huge now that major stars show up promoting their latest projects. Companies vie for space on the convention hall floor, taking up hundreds of square feet to push and sell their products to over a 150,000+ folks.  Media reporters from around the world cover the event like it was the Super Bowl. The fans snickered at four decades ago are now shaping the culture of the entertainment industry.  Yeah, there are still those who laugh at the folks dressed up in costumes, but many of them are shelling out hundreds of dollars a year to see the films and play the video games based on those same characters.

I never know what to expect when I go to the Con every year, despite that list of 'must attend' panels and comic book creators I want to meet.  There are always surprises, from running into a celebrity at a restaurant or hotel lobby to ducking into a panel room, just to rest, and discover some new film, TV show or comic I'd never heard of before.  Heck, I've even come to know some of my favorite creators by their first names and to have shared a lunch or beer with a few.  The coolest part is when one of them unexpectedly remembers me and says hello on a crowded convention floor or walking into a room for a presentation.

Like every year I'll try to post some of my daily adventures when I get back.  I will also be posting some photos on Facebook and Twitter when something cool catches my eye.  Hope I can share a little of what goes on.

DC Rebirth #1 - A review with some SPOILERS

So we're starting all over again.  Well, maybe not so much re-starting from scratch, but cleaning out some of the crap from the stalls that has accumulated over the past decade.  Sadly, some of the dumber stuff, IMHO, is continuing but it looks like they are making an attempt.

Beware, as I'm giving away a lot of stuff: SPOILERS AHEAD 

Writer/demi-god Geoff Johns takes the lead with this issue, beginning with the event that lead up to this (New 52 Superman is gone and presumed dead) and setting up the events that that will lead to a newer DCU. The older pre-52 Superman, along with his wife, Lois and son are now in place here on Earth-1 or Prime or whatever it is called. Batman, thanks to events in some earlier story line now knows the Joker's name.  Of course, since things can't be that simple as it appears that there are actually three Jokers running around.  I'm guessing that they must know each other, or at least be aware of the others, but that isn't made clear. It also seems that Wonder Woman actually has a brother who had been secreted away after his birth and Darkseid (dead, but reborn) may have had something to do with it. As if that wasn't enough....

Wally West is trying to escape the Speed Force, which in someways resembles what we have seen on the TV series, THE FLASH, and events in the CW/DCU may begin to reflect things in the print versions and the other way around.  At least, some of the things that Johns has Wally reveal seem to imply that to me.  Then again, I've not been reading much of the DC output for the past few years, quitting well before Flashpoint, which seems to be where this Wally left us.  I admit to being confused.  Wally is trying to find his long-lost love, Linda Park, but like everyone else he encounters she has no memory of him.  We see a number of characters who had interacted with Wally from the time he was Kid Flash, but nobody recalls him and his connection to our world seems to be slipping away, until... I'll let you find that one out, as it nearly brought me to tears and somethings should not be spoiled.

Ted Kord is back and he is trying to help out Jamie Reyes the new Blue Beetle, who would like nothing better than to be rid of the scarab that gives him his powers.  At this point we get a visit from Doctor Fate who tells Ted that both of them are mistaken when it comes to the origin of the scarab.   We get brief glimpses of a number of other DC characters, from a new Green Lantern, Arthur Curry/Aquaman, and Johnny Thunder (the original), plus a couple of folks from the supernatural side of the DCU, other than the good Doctor.

Most of that seems on the good side, although DC editorial still believes that Bruce's sociopath son, Damien still needs to be hanging around. Never a good idea in my opinion and one I've never understood the need for.  If ever there was someone who should be written out of continuity it is that little psycho.

Finally, I've debated whether to reveal something that I really do hate and that spoils much of this whole thing from the beginning.  DC has decided that characters created decades ago as part of a stand-alone series and not a part of the DCU are now not among the characters of this Earth, but may have been the cause of much of the past decade's events that many fans have disliked.  Nah, find out for yourself and judge how you feel.

Captain America: Civil War - A Popcorn for One review (with SPOILERS)

As some of you may recall, and you can scroll down to check, when I saw BATMAN v SUPERMAN I gave the film a solid "B". I can still see why, although it really had more to do with the main actors in the film and how they interpreted the characters rather than the overall film. It's easy now to give it perhaps a "B-" when you compare it to the newest super-hero film.

Personally, and I don't think I'm the only one, I find the Captain America trilogy the strongest of the Marvel franchise films.  The first film was fun, because it was Cap as we've always wanted to see him on the screen. The second was a very, good thriller which changed the dynamics of the Marvel cinematic universe, both in films and in television.  This third film wraps everything up nicely and sets up how, not only Captain America, but the other Avengers will interact in coming films.

When several incidents involving the Avengers go wrong and civilians are killed, the world governments decide that the team must be put in check.  Accords are drawn up and the members of the team must sign and agree to them, if not they may be prosecuted.  Steve Rogers/Captain America feels this will put too many restrictions on any future actions, while Tony Stark/Iron Man believes the U.N. and world governments have a right to be concerned given past destruction caused by the Avengers when dealing with their foes.  This splits the team and individual members must decide where their loyalties lie.

On the day when the representatives of the world meet to vote on the accords a bomb kills dozens, including the king of Wakanda.  His son, T'Challa, is his heir and also the current Black Panther, a hero dedicated to protecting his homeland and its people.  He vows revenge on the person believed to be the Winter Soldier.  Captain America is just as sure his former partner and friends, Bucky Barnes is not responsible for the actions. This brings the underlying tensions in the Avenger team to the boiling point and both sides decide to take action.

The first Avenger's film brought us the Marvel universe as we fans had always envisioned it. The most powerful heroes in the world united, after initial bickering, to fight together for a common goal.  This third Captain America film brings that era to an end as we see the team broken apart, with some members missing and new heroes appearing to take their place. 

Thor and the Hulk are not around, the Thunder God having returned to his home and the big green guy MIA since he stole an aircraft and disappeared from sight. On the other hand, The Falcon calls upon Scott Lang/Ant-Man to join he and Cap, while the Panther (for his own reasons) finds himself fighting along side Stark's group.  It's exciting to see theses characters in action and the fight scenes are spectacular.  The events taking place in the airport will have a long-lasting effect not only because former friends and teammates must confront each other, but because of the appearance of a certain web-slinging teenager making his first appearance in this part of the Marvel universe.

I'm not sure if this film holds together as well as Winter Soldier but has instantly become one of my favorite super-hero films.  This is what we grew up seeing in those Marvel Bullpen days.  Pages and pages of heroes in action, characters interacting that you never expected to see together.  It was all up there. 

Chadwick Boseman is wonderful as T'Challa and the scenes of the Panther in action prove that a solo film will be pretty exciting. The final scenes set up some events we can expect in future films.  Tom Holland is absolutely perfect as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, his awestruck reaction to being included in Stark's team and his scenes with his aunt (Marisa Tomei) give us a hint of what new Spider-Man films will have in store.  If it wasn't for the appearance of Spidey, I think everyone would be talking about the Panther.

Okay, before I wrap this up I need to talk about the major weak point in the film and the one thing that the Marvel films rarely seem to get right.  The villain in this film is pretty much in namesake only one of the biggest and longest running foes of Captain America.  Zemo (played by Daniel Bruhl) is not the former Nazi and contemporary of the Red Skull we have known in the comics for decades.  Here is simply a resident of the nearly destroyed nation of Sokovia, who seeks vengeance.  What the hell?  Why even give him the name of a super-villain when you don't use him in that capacity.  He cold have been just as effective as some guy called Siegfried, or something.  Save the 'real' Zemo for a later film incarnation.

Overall a well-acted and written film that far surpasses the big screen battle of the DC titans only a few months earlier.  If that earlier film was set up, this was wraps up some things and promises even more.  Easy to give this one an "A", even if that one little problem still bugs the hell out of me.

My Free Comic Book Day Haul - 2016

We worked today, but thanks to the fact that Big Red Comics is located only a few blocks from the Library, I was able to go over on my lunch break to take part.  I had to stand in line for a bit, but the back room was set aside with several tables of goodies.  It was difficult to choose, but I did get a decent sampling of stuff.

You were allowed to select six comics from the thirty or so available.  I was able to pick up two others because I have a pull list, plus I was lucky enough to be in a drawing which scored me a few additional titles.

I'll try to review some of these over the next week or so, but I'll only do that if I like a book.  Hate to bash something I've gotten for free, which is something I got into way back when I was doing reviews for Inside Joke and some apas.  If I bought a book it was fair game, but if a creator or publisher was good enough to put me on a comp list I felt it only fair to be kind.  Some books got by with a 'decently drawn' or 'some interesting concepts', if I was really reaching for anything good.

Here's the haul:

AVATAREX: Destroyer of Darkness (Graphic India) - Grant Morrison
BOOM! 2016 Summer Blast
DOCTOR WHO FCBD 2016 (Titan Comics)
MARCH (Top Shelf) - John Lewis auto-biographical
MIX TAPE 2016 (Devil's Due/1First Comics)
THE PHANTOM (Hermes Press - Reprints of Charlton Comics material
OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE 2016 (Gemstone)
ROM #0 (IDW)
SCIENCE COMICS (:01 First Second)
SERENITY/HELLBOY/ALIENS (Dark Horse)
SPONGE BOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES 2016 (United Plankton Pictures/Bongo)
FCBD- SUICIDE SQUAD #1 (DC)
THE TICK - FCBD 2016 (NEC)
2000 AD FCBD  Prog 2016 (Rebellion)
WE CAN NEVER GO HOME/YOUNG TERRORISTS FCBD 2016 (Black Mask)

Hard to know where I should start, but I just might do them in the order I listed above.  Don't want to play favorites and there are a few I want to immediately jump into.

Trust me, I think I would have been happy with any of the books I missed.  Maybe there will be some left over when I make my weekly run next Wednesday.

Comic Con 2016 NO TRAILERS?! - Fox Pulls Out of Hall H - REACTION aka RE...

Marvel vs DC, Batman vs Captain America: Are the critics biased?

Lee Falk’s The Phantom - 80th Anniversary Special

One of my all-time favorite characters.

Batman v Superman - A Popcorn for One review (with SPOILERS)

There will be some SPOILERS thrown in here so if you haven't seen the film be warned.  I'll not give everything away, but the trailers already showed us quite a bit.

First off, I was not one of those folks that hated MAN OF STEEL nor did I have a problem with Henry Cavill as Clark/Superman. It was a different take and a bit darker than some folks might want their Kal-El, but I was fine with it. Like some folks I wasn't crazy about the ending of the film and the death of General Zod, but I could except it.  If anything, it showed that DC and Zack Snyder were creating a different film universe. You could look at the Nolan Batman films and get a hint where things might go.  Hell, things certainly aren't rosy in any of the Marvel films, either.

I also was willing to give Ben Affleck as Batman a chance, since I didn't think the things wrong with DAREDEVIL were his fault entirely.  Since then he has proven himself as both actor and director. Yeah, I did have some issues with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, but looking back it was more the costume which seemed a Xena knock-off and not the outfit we are accustomed to in classic WW.  She did seem a bit small in the first shots we saw of her, but she looked much better in the trailers and the WW teasers.

Beginning the film with Bruce, his 'origin' and witnessing of the Superman/Zod battle, I thought was smart.  The first time you see him in costume with the police finding the sex trade victims was really creepy.  You can see why criminals would fear him.  That's the Batman you want to see.  I think Affleck whether in cowl & cape or in a business suit was fantastic.  This is an older and much more cynical Batman, he is certainly more brutal and apparently lethal. I can't wait to see the solo Batman film.

Gal Gadot won me over as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman.  She is, of course, beautiful, but she also beings an air of mystery that we haven't seen in the character before.  You believe this woman has been around a very, long time and has witnessed incredible things.  Her one comment in the heat of battle about having fought 'alien creatures' before really does have me looking forward to her solo adventure as well.

Okay, I admit to being one of those that threw a lot of hatred at Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor as he appeared in the teasers and trailers.  This certainly wasn't the Luthor we were expecting, even though I have never thought the big screen versions of Lex really captured the menace of the character at all.  Early on in the film however, it is revealed that this is not the Lex Luthor we thought, but his son.  The neurotic son of a domineering and brutal father certainly would have some issues, especially someone as intelligent as Eisenberg portrays him.  While physically he doesn't inspire fear, it becomes apparent that this is a much scarier Luthor than we have ever seen before.  Also, frightening is that he believes he is doing the 'right' thing no matter how brutal his methods may be.  He believes he will be the savior of mankind.

One of me small problems with the films were the portrayal of Lois Lane as the helpless woman in peril over and over again. I realize that plays into the importance of Lois in Clark's life, but the first time showed us that. The other times could have been written differently, especially the final time where there really wasn't a need to put Lois in danger as she was showing how brave she could be up to that point.

The second problem was the end, which seemed to be there simply to allow the use of Doomsday to be justified (no pun).  Yeah, the final shot we see indicates this isn't the last we'll see of one of the three leads, but there really wasn't a need for it.  And yes, I admit to actually feeling for the character at the end, but it was a bit of manipulation since comics fans know what is going to happen.

By the way, I think Jeremy Irons is fine as Alfred, a role that can be thankless, but here works perfectly.  It was cool seeing the three other Justice League members, even briefly. Loved the scene with The Flash and the short glimpse we see of the character who will become Cyborg is chilling to say the least.  Can't wait to see more of Aquaman as well.  I happen to like the look.

In the end, I'll give the film a solid 'B', and throw in a '+" for any scene with Affleck, This has me looking forward to the Wonder Woman movie as well as the up-coming DC films.  This surprises me, but also has me excited.

Have you read Squirrel Girl?

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, VOL. 1 - I've heard nothing but good things of this book and the character, so when we received a copy of the TPB here at the Library I decided to take a chance. What a delight!

Ryan North and Erica Henderson do a wonderful job with Doreen Green, a young lady with the 'proportional strength and abilities of a squirrel'. Yep, you heard that right.  Heck, she even has her own theme song, which she made up and sings herself.  It does remind one of the old Spider-Man theme song, but that might just be a coincidence.  Heck, she is able to confront Kraven the Hunter, who seems to be fixated on another hero, until SG sets him straight.  And how many young super-heroes can claim to have fought Galactus on the Moon and actually convinced him to leave Earth alone for a while? Oh, did I mention that Squirrel Girl can also communicate with squirrels and that they are much more than we suspect? Tippy-Toe is her current squirrel sidekick, easily recognizable due to her pink bow.

If you take your heroes seriously, then this is not the book for you.  However if you have a sense of humor and want to see an all ages, female friendly book you can recommend to even non-superhero fans, this might be a good place to start.

Sausage Party - Official Red Band Trailer

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War - Trailer 2

10 Heartbreaking Companion Exits - Doctor Who - BBC

Popcorn for One: DEADPOOL, my review (with spoilers)

There will be some minor SPOILERS in here so if you haven't seen DEADPOOL yet you might want to look away.

Wade Wilson is former military, now working as a small-time mercenary.  He's a wise-cracking guy who enjoys pop culture, drinking and sex.  One day he meets a girl and falls in love, unfortunately Wade soon discovers that he has cancer and may not have long to live.  Hoping to be cured he agrees to take part in some experiments, which will attempt to unlock any mutant abilities Wade might have. Quickly he  discovers that they are being conducted not by the government but by a group attempting to create super-powered assassins for hire.  When Wade survives the testing he finds he has become hideous, but with the power to survive almost any wound.  He also decides to find the man who did this to him.

I have to admit that while the comic book character, DEADPOOL has a huge following I'm not really among them. Like DC's LOBO, I always found him a rather one-joke character, plus I'm not really into the X-Men/mutant thing so that was two strikes against him. One of the things that turned me around on the character was the actor Ryan Reynolds, who loves the character and has been trying to get this movie made for years. I must say that I'm really glad he did.

The movie is just so much fun and never takes itself too seriously, but still finds time to really allow us to find the man beneath the mask. Wade is a much better man, in some ways, than he believes himself to be.  Still not a hero, as we'd normally think of them, he still can do the right thing, even if not in the way that a Superman or Captain America might. Deadpool might help you get your cat out of a tree, but then he'd probably steal your car so he could go out for pizza.

From the very opening credits to the ones at the end, the film seldom lets up.  In fact the opening credit scroll gives you a pretty good idea that this is not your standard super-hero movie.  Also, the movie has an "R" rating for several very good reasons, not just the violence and language.  I'm hoping that the fact that the movie has been doing so well doesn't push other folks into doing "R" rated comics films just because it worked here. Deadpool is a very different kind of movie and not for everyone.  You could almost say it's like THE WATCHMEN played for laughs.  Yeah, these are superheroes, but do you really want these folks running around unchecked.

If you've seen the trailers for this film or some of the remarkable promotional videos and posters online you already know some of what you'll see.  Oh, and a really nice surprise was seeing how the X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (the coolest name for a super-hero in like forever!) were not only there for a brief cameo, they were an essential part of the story.

Do yourself a favor and check this movie out, on the big screen if you can.  Oh, and please don't leave like some folks after the credits. You really will be sorry.

Is He Still Reading Comics or Is the Four-Color Fiend Still Around?

The answer to both those questions is a yes, which should come as a surprise to no one except a comic shop owner or two.  I'm currently back into collecting, or to be honest reading comics again, as I generally don't buy them to collect or sell.  I just don't toss the comics or pass them along immediately after I'm done with them. There are only a few titles that I ever actually get around to re-reading.

The Big Two (Marvel & DC for those non-fans out there) are usually the ones that drive me from collecting by sucking me into yet another one of their company-wide "events" or cross-overs.  For the past decade or so some 'new thing' will get me interested enough to purchase and a year or so later, realizing I've been suckered again, I get disgusted enough with the industry to drop everything from all publishers.  Probably an over-reaction, but if you know me you'll know that's not uncommon.

For DC it was the "New 52" that got me back after "Blackest Night" ended and I was disappointed with what came next.  Like so many others I ran down to my shop and put in an order for all fifty-two Number Ones prior to publication, to ensure I got them all.  In over half the cases a single issue was enough, but with some I hung on for six months or a year.  I think it was the Court of Owls storyline over in the Batman titles that pushed me out that time around from the last few books I was still collecting.  Everything else had either already been cancelled or I had given up on beforehand.
The only DC books I've picked up since have been a couple of issues of Hellblazer (the John Constantine series if you recall that short-lived TV show) and the limited SECTION EIGHT series, featuring secondary characters that had appeared in the HITMAN title years ago.

Marvel got me back with SECRET INVASION, after I had found myself dropping all the titles I was reading from them over a few years.  A lot of that was the company having the writers of their books drop everything to shoehorn their title characters into some cross-over event or other, half of which you couldn't understand if you were only reading regular titles and not the event-specific books.  Granted DC does/did much the same, but I was buying more Marvel at the time.  I stuck with Marvel through S.I. and whatever it was that followed immediately. Then they started something which I think was called the "Heroic Age" or something and it certainly didn't seem like that to me.

Call me stupid, but the recent SECRET WARS/Battle World titles from Marvel had me back in the shop at least for a while.  A few like THORS were actually pretty good and of course, if you put "Marvel Zombies" in the title I can't resist so that was a couple of books right off the bat.  After all that, and I actually gave up on the main S.W. (not the Lucas/Disney stuff if you have lost track) title I've only been getting a few of the new Marvel books. 

Both companies now seem on the verge of doing everything all over again, especially DC with something called REBIRTH, which they been promoting but I haven't quite figured out what it is all about.  I've heard that it isn't another reboot, but that it is supposed to being the print comics more in line with what we are seeing with the cinematic versions of their characters. It might be interesting but I don't know if that is enough to get me back into buying their books on a regular basis.

Marvel is now promoting something called CIVIL WAR II. Coincidentally enough there seems to be a film coming out this year with a similar title. Do we really need to see this all over again? Will somebody besides (SPOILER WARNING) Cap get offed this time (END SPOILER).

Next time out I'll mention some of the comics I am currently reading, most of which don't come from the Big Two, which shouldn't surprise anyone at this point.

BEST & WORST SWORDS & SANDALS MOVIES

KEVIN SMITH BAWLS OVER EARTH-2 & THE FLASH - FAT MAN ON BATMAN 024

Star Wars: Episode VIII Production Announcement

The Blue Man by Kin Platt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first read this book in Jr. high and was completely blown away. I guess this was the first book, other than say the Tom Swift, Jr. and Hardy Boys novels, aimed at 'teens' that I read and could identify with. Possibly because the lead character was also named Steve.

Very happy living with his parents in New York City, Steve is not thrilled when his parents decide to send him off to spend the summer with his aunt & uncle. They run a small hotel in a rural area, and he finds himself pretty bored. When a rather odd looking guest registers and Steve accidentally discovers he is blue, things take a very, dangerous turn. Believing that his uncle has been killed, Steve steals his car and takes off in pursuit. However, how can a sixteen year old kid track down someone who may very well be an alien.

This book hooked me like few others. I must have read the book close to a dozen times over the next few years and still find it just as entertaining now that I'm more than forty years older than I was when I first discovered it.


View all my reviews

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Official Final Trailer [HD]